Garment-press



C. L. BRALEY.

GARMENT PRESS,

APPLICATION FILEU SEPT. 2-5. 1915.

Patented May 15, 1919 TSHEETS-SHEET I.

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GARMENT PRESS.

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GARMENT PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25. 1915.

1,303,247. Patented May13,1919.

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GARMENT PRESS.

'APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25. 1915.

1,303,247. Patented May 13, 1919.

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GARMENT PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, I915.

Patented May 13, 1919.

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APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25-' I915.

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TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. BRALEY, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

GARMENT-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. BRALEY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment- Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numorals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to machines for ironing and pressing garments, of the same general type as that contained in my Patent No. 1,202,358, comprising generally a pair of cooperating ironing members one of which consists of a heated chest or ironing surface while the other comprises a buck having a padded surface to be brought into ironing relation with the heated surface, and 4 it has for its purpose to afford a machine that can be used in connection with a variety of diiferent kinds of Work, and permits the employment of interchangeable ironing members or bucks which can be handled by the operator in the usual course of work. Another object of the present structure is to improve the eflieiency of machines of this class by providing means whereby the padding or padded surfaces can be maintained in a drier condition, which, in a more specific aspect, is obtained by arranging the parts so as to permit removal of the padded element and substitution of another as Often as the dampness in the padding requires, and for this purpose each press is equipped with a number of padded mgmbers so that a perfectly dry one is always available for instant use.

A further object of the improvement consists in providing a construction by which it is possible to secure a combined ironing and pressing effect, by causing a relative sliding movement of the ironing members after they are brought into engagement, thus improving the finish on many classes of work. The invention is also characterized by certain other detail features which contribute in one Way or another to the general efficiency of the apparatus and the readiness with which the clothes can be handled. To these and other ends the invention consists of certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the cation.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a machine equipped with a preferred embodiment of the invention and illustrating the parts in their normal or separated relation;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the pressing members engaged;

Fig. 3 is a plan view;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional viewof the pressing members when separated;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the padded member;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a slightly modified arrangement for obtaining a relative sliding movement of the ironing members, and showing the latter in their initial engaging position;

Fig. 10 is a similar View, with the ironing members in their final pressing position;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line 11 -11 of Fig. 10';

Fig. 12 is a sectional view on the line 12 12 of Fig. 13, and

Fig. 13 is a side view of the parts shown. in Fig. 12.

Similar reference characters throughout the several figures indicate the same parts.

The machine of the present embodiment includes a base 1, standard 2 and guides 3 within which is slidably mounted a frame embracing the rods 4 which engage rollers 5 forming a part of the guides. 3. Mounted on the frame just referred to is one of the pressing members comprising the chest or head 6 which-has an ironing surface that is heated by steam or other heating medium supplied through suitable connections to the interior of the chest. The chest 6 is movable in a horizontal direction into and out of pressing relation with 'its cooperating pressing member or buck and is operated through a lever 7 pivoted at 8-, and carrying at its lower end the cam surface 9. The latter is arranged to be engaged by a roller 10 or other projection carried 011 the treadle 11, which is pivoted at 12, and normally oocupies the position shown in Fig. 1. The treadle 11 carries a locking pawl 13 arranged for engagement with a stationary part 14, in

end of the specifiorder to hold the pressing members in engagement in the manner shown in Fig. 2. 15 is a releasing treadle mounted on the main treadle 11 at 16, and adapted to engage the locking member 13 to release the latter from looking position, and thereby permit the springs 17 to return the chest 6 to its normal position. The other cooperating pressing member which will be described more fully presently comprises in part an arm 18 pivoted at 19 and preferably having a slight movement toward and from the chest 6. This is effected by the connecting rod 19 which is pivoted to an extension on the treadle 11 and yieldably connected to the arm 18. It will be seen that any movement of the pressing members that takes place is in substantially a horizontal direction and the meeting plane of the pressing surfaces is at an angle to the horizontal, and inclined downwardly away from the operator or front of the machine and toward the rear thereof. This arrangement increases the speed of operation and requires a minimum amount of power in operating the machine, by the reduction of friction, and lessening of the weight to be overcome in operating the movable members, and also enables the operator to have a clear and unobstructed view of the'entire Work on the buck or table preliminarily to the ironing operation, all as is more fully set forth in my co-pending application already referred to.

It is particularly desirable in-a machine of this type to make it possible to interchangeably use different styles of bucks for supporting the work in order to accommo- I date different classes of work, thus making the operation of the machine more or less universal as applied to small garments. lVith this in view, the pressing member or buck comprises the arm 18 already mentioned which constitutes its support and embodies a top portion or plate 20, including a pair of guides 21 that are constructed as shown in Fig. 4. Cooperating with the guides 21 is a frame of skeleton-like structure to make it as light as possible and including ribs or projections 23 that cooperate with the guides 21, extending in a generally vertical direction, permitting the frame to have slidable engagement on the guides and to be removed from the support by a substantially vertical movement when it is desired to substitute a different form of frame. The frame 22 carries a padded surface, and together with the parts just described constitutes the buck for supporting the garment, and for placing it in position to be ironed bv the heated head already described. In machines of thls type, a difficult problem has been presented by the accumulation of moisture in the padding, resulting from repeated operations on damp garments, and no successful means has been found heretofore for overcoming the disadvantages resulting from such an excessive collection of moisture. To obviate this, I provide for the use of a removable padded element which can be taken from the machine and dried as often as desired, several of such padded members being provided for each apparatus to insure continued and uninterrupted operation. In the present structure the padded member comprises a base or plate 24 carrying a mass of fibrous material such as felt, as indicated at 25. 26 indicates a covering of heavy linen or a similar fabric which protects the fibrous mass and is attached to the plate 24 through the instrumentality of pins 27. This structure forms a separable unit which can be readily dried in any suitable apparatus for this purpose and can be quickly positioned in the machine for operation. To this end, the frame 22 is flanged at 28 to form a recess or pocket that receives the padded memher, while the latter rests upon and is directly supported by a series of yieldable members preferably in the form of springs 29, arranged in pockets 30, which carry set screws 31 to permit of adjusting the tension of the springs. The frame 22 is so lightly constructed that it can be easily lifted from the machine when it is necessary to change the pressing surface for a different lot of work, and the padded member can be removed frequently so that a dry supporting surface for the garment is always insured. In many kinds of work, the garments project beyond the ends of the buck and it is sometimes desirable to support such )rojecting portion, to prevent it coming into contact with the operating parts of the machine or the floor, and without requiring the attention of the operator and with this in view, I employ a garment support that extends beyond an end of the buck and is preferably in the form of a rod 32 that is positioned in guides or lugs 33. As a further assistance in supporting parts of garments during the operation of ironing, there may be provided a shelf or rest 34, supported at 'one edge of the buck and extending preferably 111 a horizontal direction. The shelf 3-1 carries rods 35 which are re-ln'ovably mounted in suitable recesses formed in the enlargements 36.

It is sometimes preferred, with certain classes of work, to operate the machine so as to prevent the pressing members from returning completely to their normal position, or in other words, to allow only a partial movement as they are separated, thus materially increasing the speed of operation of the apparatus. To accomplish this, I employ means for automatically limiting the return movement of the parts in such manner as to enable the operator to adjust the machine, so that the pressing members will make either a full return stroke or only a partial return movement. 37 is a lever pivoted on the bearing 38 and controlling a, slide rod 39 which carries a foot 40 that may be disposed in the path of the treadle 11.

With the lever 37 in the position shown in Fig. 4, the treadle 11 is permitted its normal or complete movement, whereas by throwing the upper end of the lever 37 to the left of Fig. 4, the slide rod 39 is projected to the right and moves the foot 40 into the path of treadle 11, thus lessening the upward movement of the latter, and limiting to a corre sponding extent the amount of separation of the pressing members.

In the forms shown in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive, the guides are constructed to permit a slight elevating movement of the ironing member 44, and a consequent sliding or ironing engagement between the ironing members and to this end, the rollers 42 are normally disposed slightly above the rods 43 as shown in Fig. 9. As this frame carrying the ironing member 44 moves forwardly and the ironing members are engaged, the frame is forced slightly in an upward direction, until the rods 43 engage rollers 42 as shown in Fig. 10. This causes a sliding contact between the steam chest and buck, and imparts a slight ironing effect to the work, similar to the action of the usual hand iron. The degree of movement of the ironing member for this purpose, is controlled by mounting the rollers 42 so as to permit their adjustment toward or. away from the rods 43. This is accomplished by eccentric bearings 45-, on which the rollers 42 are mounted. The bearings 45 can be turned to any desired position, in adjusting the re-.

lation of the rollers 42, and are locked in position by nuts 46.

While the parts have been shown and described in a more or less particular relation, the several features of my invention are not to be limited to the particular form or arrangement set forth, and the present application is intended to cover any modifications or changes that may properly come within the scope of the invention and of the claims hereinafter.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garment pressing machine the combination with a heated chest, of a relatively movable cooperating pressing member embodying a support, a frame thereon and a padded member removably supported on the frame having its outer surface substantially coextensive with the chest and connectlons for maintaining the flat cooperating faces of the chest and padded member substantially parallel and at an angle to a horizontal plane during the pressing operation.

2. In a garment pressing machine the combination with a heated chest, of a relatively movable cooperating pressing member embodying a support, provided with vertically extending guides, a removable frame mounted on the guides, a removable padded loosely positioned in the recess.

4. In a pressing machine, the combination with a heated chest, of a cooperating pressing member embodying a frame having a recess therein, a padded member loosely positioned in the recess, and a series of yieldable supports on said frame for the padded member. I

5. In a pressing machine the combination with a heated chest, of a cooperating buck, one having movement relative to the other in substantially a horizontal direction with their cooperating faces meeting in a plane at an angle to the horizontal, said buck embodying a support having guides thereon extending transversely of and substantially parallel to the face of the buck, a frame supported on said guides and a padded member on the frame.

6. A garment pressing machine enibodying in combination a heated chest and a cooperating buck, both having substantially coextensive flat operating surfaces "extending at an angle to the horizontal and movable relatively, horizontally into engagement with the article being pressed, said members being permitted a relative sliding movement during the operation.

7. A pressing machine embodying a pressing couple consisting of a heated member and a cooperating ironing member, said members having substantially coextensive fiat, cooperating surfaces inclining downwardly away from the operator, means for moving the surfaces of the members toward and from each other in substantial parallelism, said members having a relative sliding movement when the article is pressed between them.

8. A pressing machine embodying pressing members consisting of a heated chest and a buck, the cooperating faces of which are inclined relative to their plane of movement, means for operating the members relatively toward and from each other in a substantially horizontal plane, and means for controlling v the relative sliding movement of the members on each other when pressing the garment between them.

9. In a pressing machine the combination of a pair of cooperating p essing members having their operative faces inclined relative to their plane of movement, means for operating said members relatively torelative to their plane of movement, means 10 Ward and from each other in a substantially for operating said members toward and from horizontal plane and adjustable guides 00- each other, and relatively adjustable guidoperating with one of said members for coning rollers engaging one of the members to 5 trolling its vertical movements when the law control its transverse movement.

are in pressing contact. CHARLES L. BRALEY. 10. In a pressing machine, the combina- Witnesses:

tion of a pair of cooperating pressing mem- SYD PRESTWICH,

bers having their operative faces inclined J 0s. H. SPELLER. 

